Summary: Last week proved one thing—we have a lot to learn. So many articles had high views for no discernible reason that it became pointless to exclude them. If any of you have ideas as to from whence these oddities emerged, please let us know, as we can always use new sources! Think of this then as our all view-spikes are created equal list; each given due prominence regardless of its creator or particular endowments.
Thankfully, this inclusive policy didn't affect the Top 10 much; to see the full effect you should check out the Top 25
For the week of June 30 to July 6, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the report of the 5,000 most trafficked pages* were:
After becoming the most viewed Wikipedia article in over four months last week, its viewership actually increased this week, which has sent some alarm bells ringing that perhaps this site's page has been getting some artificial inflation. Purchasing Tumblr is all well and good, but it doesn't deserve this level of attention, surely.
A far more obvious object of interest for the week of July 4 (although technically American independence was declared on July 2nd, by which time the American Revolutionary War had already been going for more than a year, and not attained until February 3, 1783), the celebration of American independence is arguably the biggest summer festival in the English-speaking world (with the possible exception of Christmas in Australia).
The angsty German chronicler of authoritarian oppression, who essentially predicted the surreal horror of 20th century dictatorship, had both a Google Doodle and a main page appearance to celebrate his 130th birthday on July 3, leading to a massive spike in interest.
The Chinese botanist and physician who wrote a comprehensive materia medica with nearly 1900 entries had a Google Doodle to celebrate his 495th birthday.
This Japanese singer has been a thorn in our side for weeks; her entry keeps spiking apparently at random. On any other list she'd be excluded but in this one, who's to argue?
The story of the international cause célèbre who blew the whistle on the NSA's domestic spying program becomes more gripping by the day. Denied a passport by the US government, he presumably remains trapped in Terminal E of Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, possibly seeking asylum in Venezuela. Polls suggest Americans are still fairly divided on whether to treat this man as a hero or a traitor, which will only stimulate more debate and, likely, more Wikipedia views in future.
An exhibition of the life and possessions of the tragically short-lived singer (and member of the 27 Club) went on display at the Jewish Museum London on July 3.
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